Content about Sales promotion

By Rafi Musher, rmusher@stax.com

New York -- Starbucks Coffee Company on Friday offered an online coupon though Groupon Inc., Bloomberg reported. It is the first time the chain has had a Groupon offering.

For $5, customers received a printable gift card to use in Starbucks’ stores for $10, according to the report.  

Whiting, Ind. -- More than one-quarter (27%) of U.S. adults will use their smartphone or tablet for their holiday shopping this year, according to new survey by CouponCabin.com. In addition, 83% of those who will use their smartphone for holiday shopping this year report they will be doing so because of the convenience.

The survey was conducted online nationwide by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin.com from Sept. 26 – Sept. 28, 2012 among 2,523 U.S. adults aged 18 and older.

Armonk, N.Y. – In-store sales of women’s clothing are expected to see a 9.2% increase in the third quarter of 2012 versus the year-ago period, according to a just-released IBM analytics-based forecast of U.S. retail sales data. The report predicts a 6.2% increase in sales of children’s clothing and a 5.2% increase in footwear. Men’s clothing, however, is forecast to lag, dropping 6.7%.

Washington, D.C. -- Consumers are using Pinterest to engage with retailers more than Facebook or Twitter, according to a survey released Thursday by Shop.org, comScore and The Partnering Group.

Additionally, the “2012 Social and Mobile Commerce Study” discovered that one third of smartphone owners who shop online share their location with a retailer.

Austin, Texas — Whole Foods is rewarding customers that live a green lifestyle through a new app it created with Whole Planet Foundation and BlueAvocado.

Hampshire, United Kingdom -- The global redemption rate of mobile coupons will average at over 8% by 2016, which represents an eightfold increase over the best paper coupons campaigns, according to a new report from Juniper Research. North American and Western European markets are now beginning to follow the same growth path as the Far East & China and by 2016 there will be over 600 million regular mobile coupon users worldwide.

New York City -- When it comes to coupons, consumers still rely on the Sunday newspaper. According to consumer and media measurement firm Scarborough Research, coupon usage for household items is up 24% since 2006, with Sunday newspaper inserts ranking as the leading (49%) source for coupons, followed by in-store coupons (43%), direct mailings (33%), in-store circulars (26%), and preferred customer/loyalty card (24). And some one-fifth (22%) of consumers are utilizing digital media such as email, text messaging or Internet sites to get their household coupons,

Lewisville, Texas -- Fifty percent of retailers and almost as many manufacturers (48%) use rebate programs as part of their customer loyalty and promotions mix, according to report by the Aberdeen Group.

"Our findings revealed a very persuasive business case for rebates," said Chris Cunnane, senior research associate with the Aberdeen Group. "We have a deep expertise in retail and manufacturing research, and this report demonstrates the value of rebate programs for both of these groups."

Lewisville, Texas -- New research indicates that rebate programs are rising in favor with consumers and continuing to grow as a strategic approach for marketers. According to Parago, the nation’s largest rebate provider, 47% of consumers submitted a rebate in the past 12 months, up from 37% in the prior year.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Building on its valued customer program, Harris Teeter is offering shoppers a way to link coupons to the program's card.

Harris Teeter's e-VIC program now gives customers the opportunity to link valuable manufacturer coupons directly to their VIC card. When e-VIC members receive their e-VIC e-mail, they can browse the list of e-VIC coupons any time, and link the coupons by clicking the “Save it” icon on any of the displayed coupons.